


Scars Honorably Won

by CaptainXeno



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Break Up, But also secretly a BAMF, Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, Cullen is a huge adorable dork, Cute, Dialogue Heavy, Disability, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heartbreak, Honor, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jealousy, Loyalty, One Shot, Oneshot, Post-Betrayal, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Protectiveness, Scars, UST, Unresolved Romantic Tension, duel, protective friends, unspoken feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-21
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-16 10:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8099410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainXeno/pseuds/CaptainXeno
Summary: Female Inquisitor,( left intentionally vague/general,) is heartbroken in the aftermath of the discovery that her betrothed had been exchanging love letters-- and possibly more-- with another woman.Worse, the reason wanted to cheat on her was because of the "difficulty" of dealing with the problems she has due to chronic pain caused by the fade Anchor.Cullen finds her on the wall of Skyhold, offers adorable bumbling & good advice, and cheers her up. He may also threaten to kick her ex in the wobblies.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is for someone on the Cullenites Facebook group who had a loved one recently be emotionally unfaithful and wish to break up because he didn't want to deal with her chronic long term illness.
> 
> I've had loved ones be unfaithful, emotionally and physically, and I've had loved ones give up on me and leave me because they didn't want to deal with my PTSD and anhedonic chronic depression.
> 
> So I really felt for her situation and wanted to give her some Cullen art, as requested, to cheer her up & show sympathy. It ended up being rather healing for me as well!

***

He found her on the battlements of Skyhold, staring out across the Frostbacks. Those were not tears on her cheeks, of course; the icy mountain wind made everyone's eyes water at times.

He leaned his elbows on the rough cut stone next to her, and joined the Inquisitor in her vigil. If only he was a man of fine words, like Varric, he would know what to say to ease her pain.

"Did I do the right thing, Commander?" She asked, barely loud enough for him to hear.

He'd seen the damning letters, with the rest of the inner circle. Liliana had flung them onto the war table, after all, spitting like an angry cat about traitors and cheaters and lying men. 

"My lady," he began carefully, "It was no fit match for you. Nor ever can it be, when one person's honor and loyalty so far outstrips the other's."

She sighed. "My head tells me the same thing. But my heart... I thought he... I would have moved to Orlais for the marriage, away from Skyhold and from y-- from all of you. My friends." She slammed a gauntleted fist into the stone wall, her long dark hair flying around her face. "Now it seems I didn't mean as much to him. Because of this." Ashe stared down into the glowing green line of the anchor across her palm.

"It still pains you?" He asked. As a warrior, as a recovered Lyrium addict, he knew about pain and how it changed one's world with it's waxing and waning.

"Always, a bit. Some days it's so hard to get out of bed and do... anything. Some days it's impossible." She wrapped her arms around herself as the wind gusted harder, moved over a few steps to lean against the wall behind a taller crenellation. "Apparently, it's all too much to deal with, for him."

He absolutely did not notice how the posture displayed the generous, lush curves of her chest and hips.

"Ah, er, I see," He replied, rubbing the tense muscles at the base of his skull. He was getting the low, throbbing headache he got when he'd been clenching his jaw all day. Usually from the effort of self control. Today, he had caught himself constantly grinding his teeth in anger.

He began again. "He's a fool, Inquisitor. You are a warrior, and warriors have scars of many kinds. Bull can hardly walk on cold rainy days-- that bad knee of his-- and he's phobic of demons, especially on his blind side. Sera is afraid of magic, and her shoulder keeps her awake nights. Healer says it's from that broken collarbone where the giant hit her with that rock. Varric has screaming nightmares if he has to camp anywhere near red Lyrium. And I-- ah, have a problem with small spaces, and being around too much magic. Or demons. Lyrium, also, but you know about... Maker's bones, I'm rambling." He turned and walked a few steps away to hide the bright flush of his cheeks. He wasn't blushing, clearly, after all the cold made everyone's faces redden.

She followed him, misreading his pacing as an invitation for a walk. They often planned strategy that way, on the move. It was a habit begun in the early days of Skyhold, when they were both needed everywhere, by everyone, simultaneously. On the move was the only way they *could* converse. Now, it was simply tradition that she swung into step with him. And if he hung back a pace, it was merely to watch the lady Ashe's back, and show the respect of a Commander for their leader. The way her ample hips swayed hypnotically as she strode along had nothing to do with it.

"My point was, soldiers have scars. You work around them, you step softly around each other's scars. Any fighter knows, you save your strength. Rest on the days you can, so that you can fight all the harder on the days you must." 

She turned, unexpectedly, and he ran into her. Maker's breath, he was acting like a clumsy recruit. Ashe bounced off his breastplate, and he took her arms to steady her. The top of her head just came up above his chin. He'd never noticed. Well, of course not. They'd never stood this close. 

It seemed natural to pull her into a hug, kiss the top of her head so lightly he doubted she felt it.

"Loyalty. Fidelity. Honor. Honesty." He hugged her tighter for a moment, then drew back enough to look her in the face. Her eyelashes were still wet, and it made her dark eyes look enormous. "These are not optional extras. They are minimum qualities expected of every Templar recruit. I expect as much of our Inquisiton soldiers. A lady who exemplifies those qualities deserves a partner her equal, not her inferior."

Ashe smiled, and wrinkled her nose at him. "Commander. Are you giving me the 'he wasn't good enough for me' speech? Because I've heard it from Josephine, Dagna, and of all people, Bull as well. Sera and I actually have bets on who's next. I just won five silver; she thought it would be Liliana next. My money was on Dorian."

Cullen cleared his throat and looked away. "Ah...I think Dorian favors a more direct approach. I caught him hiring Sera to send some of her Red Jennies to, er, teach the blighter a lesson. Something about liars, and burning all their breeches, I believe." 

He turned and began walking, towards the upper entrance of the tavern.

After a few steps he realized belatedly that his arm was still around her shoulders. Well, it was unusually cold out. It wouldn't do to have the leader of their organization taking a chill.

"Personally, I believe it would be best if you did not to even grant your ex-betrothed the dignity of a response," he continued.

"I suppose--" Ashe began, but the door to the upper entrance of the Herald's rest banged open, cutting her off.

One of the scouts-- Jen...? James...? --popped out like a toy nug-in-a-box, already speaking. "Commander! There you are. I have that book of Liliana's you wanted. The one about duels and challenges of honor under Orlesian rules...and... Or, on your desk. Right." 

The flustered scout brushed past them at a fast trot, headed for Cullen's office. 

The Commander looked at the sky, then out over the garden courtyard where, worrisomely enough, it appeared that Dorian was attempting to teach Sera to play some version of chess. Although why there were Diamondback cards on the chessboard among the pieces, Maker only knew.

"So," Ashe began, "You were saying something about not dignifying his betrayal with a response...?"

Cullen fixed her with his best Knight-Captain look, perfected in service to Meredith. The one that said he was only following the orders that she would obviously have given if only the matter had been important enough to waste her time with...

Ashe wasn't buying it. She folded her arms and lifted one brow.

"I said that *you* should not grant him the dignity of a response. You are a noble lady. It's beneath you. I'm a common Ferelden dog soldier; my only titles come from promotion. My plan was to knock him down in the dirt of the duelling ground and get his pretty dawnstone armor as filthy as his honor. And then I might have time to get in a couple blows that'll, well, as Blackwall put it, hit him where it'll make him no use at all to his mistress for some time to come." He kept his eyes on hers, hoping he'd not overstepped enough to ruin their friendship.

She narrowed her eyes, trying to glare at him. He could see the corners of her mouth twitch, though.

After a few seconds she burst out in wild laughter, and threw her hands up in surrender. "Fine, fine. Do whatever you think is right."

He saluted her in the Ferelden style, fist over his heart, followed by a slight bow, pose exaggerated to a silly amount on purpose to make her laugh even more.

She shook her head at him, still chuckling, and headed through the door to the upper floor of the tavern.

"It is hurtful, I can't deny. But really, I will get over it. I'll be all right. I don't see why all of you want to make such a huge deal of this..." She talked as she went on ahead of him, waving her hands to emphasize her words.

"Because you deserve the best, after all you have fought through," Cullen said, too quietly for her to hear, and followed behind her, as was his place.

Cole looked up from his box of trinkets and forgotten treasures, there and unseen in the shadows of the corner alcove.

After Cullen had passed by, the spirit boy spoke the words he could hear like a lion's roar echoing inside an armored steel cage. "Because I would never be so careless with her heart. Because I love you, my Lady."


End file.
